Question 1

Consider the following survey item: "If you found yourself on an airplane with engine problems, would you __________?" Most social psychologists would not include such an item on their survey because most respondents would __________.

Accepted Answer

Most respondents would find it difficult to accurately imagine what they would actually do in such a high-pressure and unpredictable situation.

Question 2

Which of the following best defines the term "sample"?

Accepted Answer

A sample refers to the specific group of people who are actually measured or studied in a research project. This group may or may not be representative of the population as a whole, and the results of the study may or may not generalize to a larger population. It is important to carefully select and describe the sample in order to accurately interpret and apply the findings of a study.

Question 3

Why is it unwise to conclude that if two variables are correlated, one must have caused the other?

Accepted Answer

Correlation does not imply causation. There could be a third variable that is causing both variables to be correlated. For example, ice cream sales are correlated with crime rates, but it does not mean that ice cream is causing people to commit crimes. It is more likely that both factors are caused by a third variable, such as warmer weather.

Question 4

Which of the following is a serious shortcoming of the correlational approach?

Accepted Answer

The correlational approach can only establish a relationship between two variables, but it cannot determine causal direction. The correlation may be due to a third variable or reverse causation. Therefore, drawing causal inferences based on correlational data is often problematic.

Question 5

The idea of "telling more than you can know" (Nisbett & Wilson, 1977) is the premise that people may report why they respond a certain way, but that their reports about causes of behavior reflect __________.

Accepted Answer

According to the theory of "telling more than you can know," people often have limited insight into the real causes of their own behavior. Instead, they rely on theories and beliefs about what should have influenced them, which may not accurately reflect the true causes. Therefore, their reports about the causes of their behavior may not be entirely accurate.

Question 6

Carlos, the president of a fraternity on campus, randomly sampled 500 students, asked them if they belonged to a fraternity or sorority, and asked them about their current GPA. He discovered that the GPAs of those people in fraternities and sororities were higher than those of people who were not involved in the Greek system. Gleefully, he presented his findings to the dean, saying that being involved in a fraternity or sorority leads to higher grades. What rule of research methods is Carlos breaking?

Accepted Answer

Carlos is breaking the rule of correlation not proving causation. Just because there is a correlation between being in a fraternity/sorority and having higher grades, it does not necessarily mean that being in a fraternity/sorority causes higher grades. There could be other factors at play that are influencing both membership in a Greek organization and GPA.

Question 7

Imagine that researchers have found a positive correlation between the frequency of disagreements that couples have and how long they stay together. Based on this correlation, would you start arguments with your significant other in order to sustain your relationship?

Accepted Answer

Although a positive correlation has been found between frequency of disagreements and relationship length, it is important to note that correlation does not necessarily imply causation. Starting arguments with the intention of sustaining a relationship may not be effective and could potentially cause more harm than good. It is important to communicate effectively and address issues in a constructive manner rather than intentionally starting arguments. Additionally, the fact that the correlation may not hold true for all couples (as seen in the negative correlation in the friend group) further highlights the need for individualized and nuanced approaches to relationships.

Question 8

Researchers Baron and Straus (1984) found a positive correlation between the number of sexually explicit magazines sold in different states and the number of reported rapes in each of those states. They refrained from concluding that exposure to pornography caused men to rape because of the potential influence of a third variable. Which of the following might constitute that third variable?

Accepted Answer

A hypermasculine culture in those states could lead to both the purchase of sexually explicit magazines and a greater likelihood of rape. Therefore, it could be the third variable in the correlation between sales of sexually explicit magazines and reported rapes.

Question 9

Recall the description of the political poll taken by Literary Digest about the Landon vs. Roosevelt election. This is an example of a potential error that can be made when doing survey research involving political polls. What is the lesson that survey researchers learned from this error?

Accepted Answer

The best choice is D because the error made in the Literary Digest poll was that the sample was not representative because it relied on self-selection and non-random sampling methods. Survey researchers learned from this error that it is important to use random selection to obtain a representative sample to reduce bias and increase the accuracy of poll predictions. Choices A, B, and C are not accurate lessons learned from this error.

Question 10

There is a moderately strong correlation between the number of ice cream cones sold in a day and the number of criminal acts occurring in a day. It seems more likely that it is really hot temperatures that are associated with the ice cream sales and crime than that criminals treat themselves to ice cream after committing their crimes. This observation would indicate that correlations are __________.

Accepted Answer

Correlations do not imply causation. It is possible that a third variable, such as hot temperatures, is causing both the increase in ice cream sales and the increase in crime.

Question 11

Complete the analogy: correlation is to __________ as experiment is to __________.

Accepted Answer

Correlation is a measure of the relationship between two variables, whereas experiment is a research method used to determine cause-and-effect relationships between variables. Therefore, D (relate; cause) is the best choice to complete the analogy.

Question 12

A researcher concludes that frustrating people by giving them a task that is impossible to complete causes them to behave more aggressively. Only __________ warrants this type of conclusion.

Accepted Answer

This conclusion is based on the manipulation of an independent variable (giving an impossible task) and observing the resulting behavior (aggression). Only experimental research can establish cause-and-effect relationships like this. Correlational research and observational research can suggest relationships but cannot establish causation, and archival analysis involves the examination of pre-existing data without any manipulation of variables.

Question 13

The only way to be certain that the results of a survey represent the behavior of a particular population is to ensure that the respondents are __________ that population.

Accepted Answer

To ensure that the results of a survey represent the behavior of a particular population, we need to ensure that the respondents are randomly selected from that population. This helps to minimize bias and increase the likelihood that the sample accurately reflects the population. Random assignment (Choice A) is used in experimental designs to randomly assign participants to different treatment conditions, but it is not relevant for survey research. Convenient accessibility (Choice C) may introduce selection bias, as it is likely that those who are easier to access may not be representative of the population. Normal distribution (Choice D) has to do with the distribution of variables in a sample, but it is not directly related to ensuring sample representativeness.

Question 14

Rosenberg and his colleagues (1992) conducted a study that found that women who relied on the diaphragm or contraceptive sponge had fewer STDs than women who used condoms. The media jumped to the conclusion that condom use contributes to STDs. Of the limitations of this study, which one should have prevented the media from drawing a causal conclusion?

Accepted Answer

The choice to use condoms may have stemmed from STD contraction rather than the reverse, meaning that women who contracted STDs may have been more likely to switch to using condoms, rather than condoms being the cause of the STDs. This limits the ability to draw a causal conclusion about the relationship between condom use and STDs.

Question 15

The experimental method always involves __________.

Accepted Answer

The experimental method involves a direct intervention by the researcher in order to manipulate the independent variable and observe its effect on the dependent variable. It may or may not involve a control group, and realism (either psychological or mundane) is not necessarily a requirement for the experimental method.

Question 16

In which of the following types of research is the researcher most concerned with the representativeness of the sample used?

Accepted Answer

In survey research, the researcher collects data by sampling a population and asking questions to a representative sample of that population. Therefore, the representativeness of the sample is crucial to the validity of the research findings. In naturalistic observation, the researcher is more concerned with observing behavior in a natural setting, while in archival analysis, the focus is on analyzing pre-existing data. In experiments, the researcher is more concerned with controlling the variable being studied.

Question 17

Your text discusses the fact that there are three causal interpretations of correlations. If there is a correlation such as that the more milk a child drinks, the more weight he or she gains, which of the following is not a possible causal interpretation of the finding?

Accepted Answer

The finding does not provide evidence that calcium intake causes obesity, as there may be other factors involved in the relationship between milk consumption and weight gain. The other three options (A, B, and C) are all possible causal interpretations of the correlation.

Question 18

Based on the error in sampling in political polls that was described in your text, how would you recommend obtaining a representative sample for a poll (survey) about political candidates?

Accepted Answer

Giving the poll face-to-face at an average supermarket or post office would be the best choice since it would allow for a diverse and random sample of people to be surveyed. Phone surveys only reach people with landlines and may exclude certain demographics, while polling at a specific location such as a food stamp office or college campus would only reach a limited group of people.

Question 19

The problem with a survey that is not representative is that __________.

Accepted Answer

If a survey is not representative, the researcher cannot draw valid conclusions about the population because the sample does not accurately reflect the characteristics of the entire population. The data collected may be limited in its reliability and it may be unfair not to give everyone an equal chance to participate, but those are not the primary reasons why a non-representative survey is problematic. The rules governing random assignment may not necessarily apply to all surveys.

Question 20

A researcher interested in testing a __________ hypothesis would be most likely to conduct an experiment.

Accepted Answer

A causal hypothesis proposes that one variable has an effect on another variable. To test a causal hypothesis, an experiment is necessary to manipulate one variable and observe the effect it has on the other variable. Descriptive and correlational hypotheses do not involve manipulation of variables and are tested using other research methods, such as observational studies or surveys. A theoretical hypothesis may or may not involve causality and can be tested using various research methods, depending on the specifics of the hypothesis.

Quiz 2: Methodology: How Social Psychologists Do Research

Consider the following survey item: "If you found yourself on an airplane with engine problems, would you ?" Most social psychologists would not include such an item on their survey because most respondents would .